The Grand Canyon has a new green taxi service. Like New York cabbies, these guys have a no-nonsense attitude, occasionally talk back and are notoriously stubborn.

But that’s where the resemblances end, because this service comes with long, pointed ears and four feet.

Mule-back tours in the canyon date to 1887 during the mining era. Prospectors didn’t find riches, but they did notice the increasing crowds that flocked to the canyon rim. They repurposed their efforts and hit an endless vein of pay dirt when they started mining tourist dollars instead of silver. Today, riding into the mile-deep canyon remains a popular way to see the canyon from the inside out.

Now, for the first time, visitors can ride along the rim for spectacular views up and down the canyon and 10 miles across to the North Rim.

“When the National Park Service started refurbishing the South Kaibab Trail, we had to move the Phantom Ranch mule rides to the Bright Angel Trail,” said Bruce Brossman, marketing director for Xanterra Parks and Resorts. “Limits on the number of mules permitted on the trail meant we had to discontinue the half-day ride to Indian Gardens halfway down.

“We created the Abyss Overlook ride, but it went through the woodlands a short distance from the rim,” Brossman said. “Now, the Canyon Vistas ride follows a brand-new trail along the rim. The Park Service built it especially for the mule ride.”

We sign up for the Canyon Vistas ride and meet at the barn in the village for a two-hour trek along the edge of the South Rim.

A special bus takes us from the Village mule barn to the stables at Yaki Point. We saddle up and head for the rim on the 4.2-mile round-trip trail, a path just yards away from the chasm edge. Mattie-Le Booth, our wrangler, wears a period lacy blouse along with her jeans, hat and boots — items as stylish and functional today as a century ago.

“Mules have always been the traditional work animal in the West, especially in the mountains,” she assures us. “They have a self-preservation gene so strong they won’t do anything that harms them, like getting too close to the cliff.”

At the first stop, we square off facing an expansive view of Vishnu’s Temple rising out of the gorge. Mattie-Le gives a short geology lesson, one of six interpretive explanations along the way. The scalpel of erosion carved massive battleships, pinnacles, hog-back ridges and buttes on a scale that challenges the human mind. On a distant ridge, Desert Tower, the only man-made object visible, is a minute dot on the horizon.

Mules are such an important part of the Grand Canyon experience that a full-time saddle maker creates a saddle to fit each mule. A staff farrier replaces shoes every six weeks and in the winter adds little spikes to use on icy trails.

The stoic mules plod along to the turn-around point, occasionally snatching a bushy bite. On the return, we marvel at the panorama from the opposite direction. No dismounts, but the mules are a lot easier to bring to a stop for photos than are horses. As bonuses, hikers also can explore the path less traveled, and the long-eared taxis have no honking horns.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.